A Sofia the First Fanfic: Cedric's Apprentice
by PhantomDragon09
Summary: Cedric, the royal sorcerer of Enchancia deals with the sudden arrival of an unannounced girl who claims to be his new apprentice from a sorcery school.
1. Chapter 1

Cedric paced back and forth in frustration. His faithful crow, Wormwood, flew in circles over his head. "I don't understand Wormy," Cedric said, "that teleportation spell should have worked. I could have had the amulet in my hands! What went wrong?" Wormwood landed and shrugged his wings. "Oh you're no help right now. I have to rethink this all over again!"

Cedric sat down at his desk with his head in his hands and stared down at the spellbook in front of him. He had followed every step exactly; he couldn't figure out for the life of him what went wrong. Maybe I am just a horrible sorcerer, he thought to himself. A sudden knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Whoever you are, please go away," he yelled.

Baileywick's voice called back, "I was just sent over to tell you that you have a visitor is all. I'm leaving now." His footsteps faded.

A visitor? For Cedric? In all his years as the royal sorcerer, he had never had a visitor specifically for him. He stood up, dusted off his robe, and headed out the door. Wormwood flew close behind him. Cedric's curiosity got the best of him and he started running down the hallways; Wormwood had troubles keeping up with his long strides and quick pace. As Cedric ran, he began to wonder who would come visit him. He didn't have a clue. As he was thinking, he wasn't watching where he was going and ran straight into the young princess Sofia. He fell headfirst onto the floor and she went sprawling as well. Wormwood rolled his eyes and landed on a banister nearby. Cedric pulled himself up and look for what tripped him. He eyed Sofia on the floor and rushed over to help her up. "P-P-Princess Sofia! I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." He picked her up and brushed off her dress.

"It's okay, Mr. Ceedric! I should have been paying more attention too." She adjusted her silver tiara and checked to make sure her amulet was still in place. "Why were you running anyway?" she asked.

"I was notified that I have someone here to see me," he replied, "no idea who, though."

"Oh!" Sofia exclaimed, "I saw someone in the hallway. She's very pretty!"

"She?" Cedric was shocked. "How old? How tall? Who?"

"I don't know, Mr Ceedric. I didn't ask. Go find out!" she replied and skipped off down the halls.

Cedric sighed. She was 13 now and still couldn't get his name right. He had given up on trying to correct her. He went on down the halls at a slower pace now until he reached the front doors of the castle. There stood a young girl, at least 18, in a long, flowing blue robe. In one hand was a wand and an old carpet bag in the other. Their eyes met and she smiled and walked over to him.

Cedric couldn't help feeling as if he knew this girl from somewhere. She was tall with a nice figure, dark black hair, and dark brown eyes. He felt as if he had met her somewhere or some time before, but she was far too young. She came up to him, placed her wand in her other hand, and took his and shook it.

"Hello, Cedric, the great royal sorcerer of Enchancia! I'm Abigail. I've been sent from the sorcery school, and my mother, to be your apprentice."

Cedric shook Abagail's hand slowly; her hands were small, but well worn from work and wand practice. "Apprentice?" he said as he released her hand, "I don't remember getting a notification about this."

"Oh," Abigail's face turned bright red, "um, I thought I had sent out the notice." She dropped her bag and kneeled down and began digging through it. The clinking of potion bottles, the rustle of papers, and the smell of ink brought back memories to Cedric.

"Oh no." She pulled out a piece of paper from the bag; her face went white. "Oh, no. Oh, no! How on earth did I forget to send this?" She hid her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled from within her hands. "I could have sworn I had sent this! This is a disaster." She lifted her head from her hands; her face was red and her eyes glistened at on the verge of tears.

Cedric was slightly confused, but maybe an apprentice would be useful. He could do all that he couldn't (or had no desire to) do, and would give him more time to find a way to swipe the amulet from the Princess. He held his hand out to Abigail. She looked up at him, wiped away a single tear, and took his hand.

"Even though this is highly unexpected, I think I could use some help around my lai-... I mean, workshop. So, welcome aboard! Follow me. I'll show you wear you'll be staying."

Cedric began walking. Abigail hastened to gather her things and followed. Cedric's long strides were hard to keep up with, but Abigail managed to keep up. Cedric liked her; she was ambitious and had plenty of potential, plus she could be incredibly useful.

Due to Cedric's haste, he once again wasn't looking where he was going and apparently neither was Sofia. Yet again, they collided head on. Cedric tripped and fell flat while Sofia slipped and ran straight into Abigail. Cedric stood up grumpily and dusted himself off. Sofia was already introducing herself to Abigail.

"So, you're Mr. Ceedric's new apprentice! I'm Sofia. Nice to meet you!" she said happily. "I'm sure you'll love working with Mr. Ceedric. He's a great teacher and he's so nice! Watch out for his raven though; he's kinda scary."

"It's Cedric," Cedric sighed, "Seh-drick. Simple, really. Please excuse us, Sofia. Abigail and I are in a hurry."

"Wait just a minute!" Abigail said suddenly. "Sofia, I love your amulet. Is that the Amulet of Avalor? I've heard so many stories about it!"

"Yeah, it is! Mr Ceedric told me about it! Isn't it beautiful?"

Abigail cast a quick glance toward Cedric, then back toward Sofia. "Yes, Princess, it's lovely! Keep it close by, always." She gave a wink to Sofia and stood up, returning to Cedric's side. "Okay, 'Ceedric,' lead on." Cedric sighed and continued walking as Abigail turned and waved to the young Princess as she continued her way down the halls.

Cedric continued to lead her through the long halls of the castle until they reached a large wooden door. Cedric told Abigail to turn around while he got the key. After a moment, the door was unlocked and he led her inside his large workshop. Wormwood flew down from the rafters and landed on Cedric's shoulder closest to Abigail. He glared down at her menacingly. Cedric glanced sideways at Abigail who was sticking her tongue out at Wormwood. The bird looked baffled. "What on earth are you doing?" he questioned.

"Oh!" Abigail blushed and turned away. "I'm sorry, Cedric. I just... I mean... I-I... I don't know." She cleared her throat and looked up at Cedric, "So, where do I get to sleep?"

Cedric hadn't even thought of that. He had no spare rooms anywhere. There was only his room downstairs. However, at the top of the tower there was an attic he rarely ever used. It was old and dusty and possibly full of bats, but it was the only other place. "Follow me, please." he commanded and led her up the spiral staircase toward the attic.

When the reached the top of the staircase, Cedric had to force the stuck door open. The room was round. There was just one window across from the ceiling was low and fairly pointed. The place was nearly empty except for a few boxes, beakers scattered around the place, and plenty of cobwebs. As he stood in the doorway, Abigail pushed past him and stood in the center of the room. She looked enthralled as she spun in joyous circles. "Cedric, this is perfect!" She squealed. "Thank you so much!"

Cedric was confused, but he was glad she was happy enough with it, so he let it be. "I'll let you stay up here to, um... get comfortable or whatever it is you want." He turned and left her to unpack.

As he descended down the stairs, Wormwood flew up and settled on his shoulder, cawing loudly in his ear. "Oh, bug off, Wormy! I need to be able to focus on my latest plan to get Sofia's amulet away from her, and Abagail's the perfect asset. This is exactly what we've needed, Wormy, so let's get to work."

Abigail hastened to unpack as she took out her wand and began to work. She was the most advanced student at the sorcery school, finally able to do just about everything with just the wave of her wand. She moved all the boxes over to one end of the large room, then picked up her bag and placed it by the window. The window was broken in one spot, letting in some fresh air, but it was also covered in dust and spiderwebs. She unlatched it and made an attempt to force it open, but it was stuck shut. She twirled her wand and pointed it directly at the window. Out shot a shining light which struck the window; the window cleared of cobwebs and dust. It flew open, allowing fresh spring air to enter the musky room. She stuck her head out the window and looked down at a wonderful view of a fountain and courtyard blooming with flowers. She smiled and turned back to the dark, dank room.

There was no bed frame, but there was an old mattress laid up against the wall with a box marked "blankets" beside it. Abigail's wand at the ready, she moved the mattress from the dank corner to the other side of the room by the window. She noticed that it had a slightly musty odor, but was otherwise in perfect condition. She then looked within the box of blankets, finding herself a bottom sheet, a thick wool blanket, and an old, rather flat pillow. This pillow is way too flat, she thought to herself. She pointed her wand toward the pillow and closed her eyes; out shot a purple light which caused the pillow to double in size. She placed it at the head of the mattress and knelt down on it to look out the window. The sun was just now setting over the courtyard; the statues and fountain cast their shadows across the stone pathways. She felt at home already, with the place now tidied and filled with the scent of the flowers from down below and the fresh, cool evening air.

It was then that she was hit with the fact that she hadn't eaten since that morning. She was starving, so she decided to change into some new clothes and find something to eat. She dug in her bag, pulled out a pair of black trousers and a white blouse, quickly changed into them, and tossed her hair up into a high ponytail. She ventured down the winding staircase and back into the main shop. Cedric sat at a chair bent over some sort of potion book. Wormwood was also looking at the book with him. Abigail cleared her throat loudly to catch his attention and he glanced over his shoulder at her. "What do you want?" he asked grumpily.

"Well, I'm kind of starving," she replied with hand on her hip.

Cedric stood up from his chair and looked thoughtfully at her. He finally said, "Follow me, then," and went out the door.

Abigail followed behind as quickly as possible as he took her to wherever it was they were going. She was suddenly hit with sweet and savory smells wafting from somewhere close by. Cedric took her around one more corner and there were double doors which lead into a kitchen. He led her inside. She was overcome with the sweet smells of cakes entwined with the savory smells of meats and soups. A large, fairly huffy looking fellow with a mustache approached them. "Cedric," he eyed him, "what do you want?"

"Well, I'm in the kitchen, so I must want to stop and smell the flowers," he replied sarcastically. Abigail smirked at his remark. "I need food for my new apprentice and I, you idiot!"

The chef, who obviously had some disdain for the sorcerer, told him to help himself to whatever was left over from the royal dinner. Cedric took a tray and gathered up two bowls of soup, some bread, a large glass of milk, and a cupcake, then headed out once more. Abigail walked eagerly beside him. Smelling the delicious beef soup just made her hungrier; she could barely take it.

At last they made it back to Cedric's shop. Cedric set the tray down. Abigail took a bowl of soup and a slice of bread. She ate eagerly, but was slow for she wanted to savor each bite. Cedric drank half of the tall glass of milk, then handed the rest to her which she gladly gulped down. Finally, they split the cupcake: chocolate topped with rich vanilla icing. Abigail was full and satisfied now. She stood up from the stool on which she was sitting. Cedric dismissed her to bed and told her that they would begin their work in the morning.

Abigail climbed the stairs to her attic room and dropped down onto her mattress. She covered herself with the blanket. Just one day with Cedric seemed to have gone successfully. She felt total confidence that in the weeks to come, she could do exactly what she had come here to do. Her smile stayed on her face as she slowly fell asleep to the sound of the fountain flowing quietly so far below her window.

Something bothered Cedric as he lay in his bed, something about Abigail. He couldn't figure out what bothered him so much, yet something was eating at his mind viciously. Maybe it was something in her eyes, or the odd sensation like he knew her from somewhere. He covered his face with his hands and groaned. He couldn't stand this. He needed assistance so he could work on his latest idea. He had to keep Abigail around, for now at least. Once his plan could be put in action, he could send her back to the school.

He rolled over onto his side and tried once more to fall asleep, yet his eyes remained open and his mind continued to race. Wormwood was resting peacefully on his perch with his head under his wing. The sight of him made Cedric calm down a bit. Wormwood was Cedric's only real friend he ever had in his life. Throughout his fifteen years of sorcery school, he never really had a friend except one girlfriend in his final year at school. Once Wormwood came into his life, he had someone to talk to who would listen to him. Cedric's fond memories eventually put him to sleep.

A noise from upstairs jolted Cedric awake some hours later. It sounded like someone crying out. It must have been Abigail. Cedric sighed and put on his robe and made his way wearily up the stairs and into the attic. From the open doorway he saw Abigail kneeling on her mattress staring out the open window. Her thin frame was silhouetted by a full moon shining from outside, it appeared as if she was shaking quite violently.

Cedric approached her quietly and she turned as she heard his light footsteps. Her hair was dampened by sweat and her eyes were wide with fear. She looked up at him as he stood over her mattress. "I'm sorry if I woke you." She whispered.

"Yes well, you did. What on earth is wrong?" he asked, with a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

"Nothing, really. I'm very sorry about my screaming. I was hoping I wouldn't do this again now that I'm somewhere new." She still shuddered even now that she pulled the blanket around her arms.

"What do you mean?" Cedric questioned, almost empathetically this time.

Abigail sighed heavily as Cedric sat down next to her on the low mattress. "I tend to have recurring nightmares about," she paused a moment, "about something that happened a long time ago now. At school they had to put me at the end of an empty dorm because I was disturbing everyone else's sleep. No one ever even bothered to ask what was wrong, everyone at school thought, and still thinks I'm mental or something." She hugged her knees to her chest and looked down at the floor.

Cedric wasn't sure what he was supposed to do; should he comfort her somehow, or just leave? Before he could do anything she began talking again.

"I'm about to graduate from school by the summer." She said quietly.

Cedric was shocked, "Graduating? How old are you?"

"Seventeen, I've been in school since I was ten. My mom desperately wanted me to start early so I could 'strive to do great things', as she put it."

"Seventeen?" Cedric sputtered, "and only in school seven years it took me fifteen bloody years to be qualified to graduate!"

"Well mom always said I came from a great line of sorcerers. I've advanced through my courses without any problems, took a bunch of placement tests and now here I am just a few months from graduation, and becoming someone's royal sorcerer."

Cedric sat in silence, marveling at the fact anyone could possibly be that great a sorcerer. He glanced down at her, wrapped in the blanket. He felt somewhat sorry for her, she seemed so lonely. She reminded him of, well, himself. He looked behind him out the window; the sky was getting lighter and the few birds awake were beginning to sing. He was about to get up when he felt Abigail hit his shoulder. She had fallen asleep at last, now he could go to sleep for at least an hour or so. Still he lingered there for a minute, thinking about this girl he met just the previous afternoon, yet already felt somewhat close to. He shook his head clear, he must be overtired. He gently laid Abigail back down then got up and went back downstairs. The sun was just breaking the horizon as he finally made it back to bed and Wormwood was watching him as he laid down.

"She's a strange one, Wormy." he said to the raven, "Strange indeed." He fell asleep almost instantly.


	2. Chapter 2

It was nearly 9:30A.M. when Cedric woke up the next morning. He dressed wearily and trudged up the stairs. Upon reaching the top, he found Abigail already up and cleaning; the workshop was nearly spotless. Upon his table lay a plate of eggs with bacon and a pile of ham and potato hash. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Good morning, Cedric," she said cheerily. "Breakfast at your table and workshop; just about finished. When can you start teaching me and stuff?"

Cedric, still in a state of shock, gathered himself and replied, "If you're about to graduate, why on earth do you need me to teach you anything? You're graduating younger than any sorcerer I've ever known in all my life, even younger than my father!"

She sighed, "It's the one last thing required by the school before you graduate no matter how old you are or how great your skill levels. There's got to be something you can teach me. I don't know everything yet. I don't know much about potions yet. You could help me out in that area or something."

"Well I am quite handy with potions," Cedric said, "I suppose I can see what we could do." He sat down at the table to eat. "When did you get up?"

"Like an hour ago. I figured since I didn't get much sleep anyway, I might as well be doing something proactive rather than lying around in a pool of self-pity, which reminds me; sorry again about last night. I didn't mean to make such a fuss."

"Oh, it's no problem, really. As long as no one else anywhere in the castle heard you, everything should be fine. King Roland gets especially upset with me if he hears something coming from my tower that wakes him in the night."

As Cedric finished his sentence, a knock came upon the door. Abigail went to open it. In walked Bailywick brushing past Abigail and straight up to Cedric. "The king wants to have a word with you, Cedric, at your leisure."

"Tell him I'm busy today, then," Cedric mumbled without looking up, "I've got no time for him today."

Baileywick didn't move from his spot and Abigail stood awkwardly by the door. The silence was awkward and painful. Cedric could feel Baileywick looking at him. "Are you ignoring direct orders from King Roland, Cedric?" he asked. Cedric knew he couldn't avoid this; he stood up and faced Baileywick.

"Take me to the king, then," he said coldly.

"Um, hey yeah, what about me?" Abigail asked, still standing by the door.

"Just stay here and," he paused, looking around, "clean the- um... just-" he finally sighed, "Just come with me."

Hastily they walked through the halls, Baileywick leading the procession with Cedric nervously fumbling behind him. Abigail walked closely beside Cedric, not wanting to get lost on the way. It was enormously evident that Cedric did not in any way enjoy the company of Baileywick; and quite the same in the other direction. Occasionally Baileywick would look back at Cedric as if to make sure he was still following. Never once did he glance at Abigail walking so close to Cedric.

Abigail took this time to observe. Baileywick was tall, incredibly neatly kept. He continually fondled a pocket watch, opening it up and glancing at it. This time while glancing backwards, he cast a short glance at Abigail. He had rather nice, light green eyes with a small pair of glasses resting on his nose. His hair was grey, and combed back neatly without a sign of a hair out of place. While a stern look seemed to be permanently locked onto his face, he seemed fairly kind. He hadn't said a bad word the entire time, despite his clear dislike towards Cedric.

Lost in her thought, Abigail managed to have drifted too close to Cedric and proceeded to trip the both of them. She fell with a majestic thud upon her shoulder, while Cedric managed to catch himself on his hands and knees. Baileywick turned round and went to help her up. "Are you alright?" he asked helping her up, "That was quite a fall."

"Yes I think I'm alright. I just wasn't looking where I was going, I guess." She answered. "I'm sorry, Cedric. Are you alright, as well?" She asked.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Just watch where you're going for God's sake, child." He replied as he dusted himself up. It seemed to him as if he were tripping up a lot lately.

"I'm sorry," Baileywick said suddenly, "What's your name, dear?" He asked Abigail.

"I'm Abigail, sir. I'm here as Cedric's apprentice for a short while. We met briefly at the door, I believe." She replied.

"Ah, yes. Well, Abigail, watch where you're going next time, alright? Don't want you getting hurt now, do we?" He smiled which broke the sternness of his face. "Just a little farther now."

This time, Abigail distanced herself from Cedric and walked behind him instead. Cedric still looked incredibly nervous, his face had gone quite pale. He looked as if he'd be ill any second.

Soon the three of them arrived in the throne room before King Roland, and his wife Queen Miranda. The throne room was large, with a great stained glass portrait of the royal family behind the thrones. King Roland looked down upon the two of them strictly while Queen Miranda was smiling.

"Hello, Cedric." King Roland spoke out, his voice deep and very royal sounding, Abigail thought. "Please, introduce us properly to your new friend here." He said motioning towards Abigail.

Cedric's hands were trembling and his voice was shaky but he managed to reply nonetheless. "This is um, this is A-Abigail. She's um, been sent as uh, my apprentice from her uh, sorcery school." He was making an fantastic fool of himself.

Here Abigail stepped forward, "Yes as he said I'm Abigail, my school has sent me to study with Cedric as my final task before graduation. I'll be out of here by the end of the month, no worries."

"It's an honor to meet you, Abigail." Queen Miranda smiled at her, "We truly hope you are going to enjoy your stay here. How about I get Baileywick to show you around some more?"

"That would be wonderful!" Abigail said rather loudly, "I mean, yes, thank you, your majesty. I would like that very much." She said far quieter this time.

Queen Miranda then called for Baileywick who led her out of the throne room. She looked back at Cedric, who was gazing back at her. He looked horribly nervous still and she felt bad for him; but the doors to the throne room were closed as soon as she exited and her view was cut off. She hastened to catch up with Baileywick's lengthy strides as he was already headed off in a new direction.

He led her around the entire castle, which took a good two hours or more. Finally he took her where she really wanted to be; outside! The day was glorious and warm. The sun shone brightly and the sky was free of clouds. He led her through the courtyards and to the gardens below the tower, where she slept. The new flowers were beginning to bloom and the air was fragrant with the sweet smells of spring.

"Could I just stay here for a while?" she asked Baileywick.

He nodded noting as long as she could make her way back. Abigail was an observant girl, so of course she could. Baileywick then left Abigail in the warm afternoon sun. She sat herself down on the edge of the fountain and stared into the clear waters. Suddenly another face appeared beside her reflection. Abigail looked up and there was Sofia standing behind her. Abigail was so surprised she nearly fell backwards into the water. Sofia grabbed her hand and pulled her up before she could fall in.

"I'm sorry!" the princess cried out "I didn't mean to startle you so!"

"Oh don't worry about it, Princess. I'm just a naturally jumpy person, I suppose." Abigail stood and brushed off the seat of her dress. "What are you up to, Sofia?"

"Just on a walk with Clover," she said motioning towards a rabbit that was standing beside her, "We just stopped to say hi to you."

"Oh well that's very kind of you, Princess, and Clover looks like a sweet bunny!" Abigail smiled.

Abigail sat back down on the fountain and Sofia sat next to her while Clover found some, well, clover to eat.

"So," Sofia began, "I hear you're already graduating from your school. How'd that happen?" she asked.

"Oh where to even begin, Princess." Abigail sighed. "I started school when I was about 13, your age. I was the youngest person in the entire school; most people didn't get in till they were at least 18. The pressure was intense, to be worthy of attending the school at that age. My mom was really proud of me though, which was a nice feeling. So through the next four years I managed to earn enough credits to graduate! All I have to do is go through one apprenticeship for about a month and then I can graduate."

"My mom says it's in my blood or something, and I've come from a great line of sorcerers, her parents were royal sorcerers, and her grandparents as well. So I guess I really am destined for great things."

"What about your dad?" Sofia asked, "What's he like?"

"Well," Abigail paused and gazed down at her reflection. "I don't know that much about him to be honest. He was never part of my life. Mom said it was a one time thing and she never saw him again after." She looked up at Sofia, "If you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I guess I do." Sofia answered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude or anything."

"Oh don't worry about it, I don't talk about it much since there's no one really to talk to about it. So it's no big deal, really." She smiled, "What about you, Princess? What's your story?"

Sofia smiled, and told her whole story to Abigail. Abigail sat quietly and listened to her contently. Once she had finished her story, she stood up and hugged Abigail.

"What's that for, Princess?" Abigail asked, surprised.

"Just because!" She replied, smiling. "I hope we can become friends over the time you're here with us!" she then ran off, with Clover running beside her.

Abigail smiled as she ran off. The sun was getting low in the sky, and Abigail had entirely missed lunch. She stood and began to make her way back towards the castle. Turning a corner she bumped into Cedric.

"I have been looking everywhere for you!" he said, "Where have you been all this time?" He asked.

"I'm sorry I was in the garden with Princess Sofia. I lost track of time is all. What happened with you and King Roland?" She questioned.

"Oh the usual," he grumbled, "Complaints about my magic for the most part. Also he doesn't believe I'll be able to teach you a single thing. Thinks you'd be better off in another kingdom all together. Why'd you even choose me? There's plenty of other sorcerers you could have gone to."

"Yeah well," Abigail stared at the ground, "you came highly recommended by the school. I told you that already."

"Ah, right I forgot. Now, if you don't mind, give me the real reason and stop lying. I don't appreciate liars."

"You intrigued me, alright? Son of one of the greatest sorcerers to ever live, yet everyone puts you down. I figured it'd be best to be taught by someone I can relate to."

"Relate to?" he scoffed, "How on earth can you relate to me? You're just a child, yet you're skills surpass many. How can you possibly relate to me in any way?"

Abigail looked up suddenly, and directly into his eyes, "You think just because I'm smart everyone just instantly loves me? Cedric, you have no idea, do you? I've been waiting to leave school since I started, I've hated it from the start. Everyone thinks that I think I'm better than the rest of them because I'm smart. They hate me because I'm ahead of them. They think I'm a fraud of some kind, or that I'm just one big showoff. Through my years in school, I haven't made a single friend. There have been people I've been forced to do projects with but not a single one of them stayed around. I have discovered skill isn't admirable, people hate it. People, hate me."

She was shaking by now, but not crying. Hatred and hurt burned in her eyes as she continued to glare at Cedric. She was out of words to say, her face burned and she felt sick. She broke her gaze with Cedric, who still hadn't said a word, and began to walk briskly back to the palace. She could hear Cedric turn and run to catch up with her. She ran up the castle steps and through the doors. She wasn't sure where she was supposed to go now, her anger muddled her mind. Cedric finally caught up to her and grabbed her arm. Abigail didn't bother running, she was done running. Cedric turned her round to face him, he was speaking, but Abigail didn't hear anything. She finally broke down, she started crying. She collapsed to the floor, her sobs echoing throughout the large foyer.

"What's happening here?" A voice asked suddenly.

Abigail didn't look up, she was still crying, but she could tell the voice belonged to Baileywick. Cedric was talking frantically and Baileywick shushed him. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and she finally looked up. Baileywick knelt next to her offering her a hand which she took. He then stood and helped her up and led her down the halls, Cedric was left behind standing awkwardly. She didn't ask where Baileywick was leading her, she was still shaking and disoriented. They entered a room near the end of a hallway, it was a bedroom with a table in the center; the table was set with some bread and soup, and a bottle of wine.

"Sit down and help yourself. This is usually where I eat, I'll go and get some more food for myself." He led Abigail to the chair and set her down then left.

Abigail sat there, still feeling numb. She looked around; off to the left was another room which looked to be a washing room. There was a bed behind her with a large window behind from which she could see the moon beginning to rise in a pink sky. There were candles lit around to room to brighten the place up a bit and a few odds and ends placed on shelves and a desk.

She turned back to the food as Baileywick came back in with another tray of food for himself. He placed the tray on the table and then retrieved another chair from his desk and sat across from her. She felt slightly awkward, but she was starving so she ate her fill and sat back in the chair. She looked across at Baileywick, who was still eating his meal, slowly and mannerly.

"So, what's all this about, then?" She asked.

"Thought I'd do something nice for you. I highly doubt Cedric was any comfort. What was all the crying about?"

She sighed and swirled the last bit of soup around the bowl idly, "I don't know, really. I usually don't ever cry, especially around people I don't know well. I guess I just finally had enough of holding it in, you know? There's just been too much happening in my life lately that I can't get a grip on."

Baileywick said nothing, just nodded so she continued, "There's been stuff I've kind of been keeping from Cedric. Nothing bad or anything, just like-" she paused, "Like my mom died last year. There was a fire and she was unable to get out in time, I was still at school, due to come home on vacation the next day. When I got the news everyone was suddenly nice to me, and to be honest, that just made everything worse. The last time I talked to her, she told me I had to go to Cedric, son of Goodwin the Great, for my apprenticeship. I didn't know why, and I didn't bother asking, but I found out eventually."

"I feel bad for keeping this stuff from Cedric but I don't feel like there's any need to tell him. If I don't it won't affect him, and it won't affect me. I'll just finish this apprenticeship and be on my way. Either way, it's hard sometimes with no one to write home to."

"I can understand that. Please, if you ever need to talk to someone other than Cedric, just come and find me." Baileywick replied, thoughtfully.

Abigail smiled as she stood up and thanked Baileywick. She felt better, a lot better; it was wonderful to have someone to talk to that didn't interrupt or disregard what she was saying. She walked along the castle corridors towards the tower, feeling lighter. She came to the door and knocked in which she received a gruff "come in". She pushed the door open and walked in. Candles were lit here and there, mostly concentrated on Cedric's workbench. She crossed the floor to Cedric's side while Wormwood continued to glare at her from the rafters.

Cedric was hunched over a few spell books, and a few potion recipes scattered about. Abigail looked at them thoughtfully; there was an invisibility potion, a transfer spell, hypnosis, sleep spells, knockout potions. What caught her eye the most, was a book open to the Amulet of Avalor, explaining it's many powers. Cedric turned suddenly and she jumped backwards, Wormwood cawed and flew down, just grazing the top of her head.

"There you are." Cedric looked at her, "We've barely gotten a thing done. Tomorrow, I'll be needing much more help before I can teach you anything."

"Yes, sure that's fine." She replied, fixing her hair that Wormwood hit. "What's all the spells and potions and things you got there?" She asked.

"Nothing, just, working out lesson plans." he said unsurely.

"Do you need any assistance?" she questioned looking down at him. "It's not too horribly late."

"No, absolutely not. I have everything under control here. Go clean the potion bottles and dust the bookshelves if you need something to do."

She shrugged and did his bidding relatively quickly and before long she was sitting next to Cedric again.

Cedric sighed, "Alright, what is it?"

Abigail shrugged, "I don't know. Just watching you work and such. Quite fun to watch the great sorcerer at work."

"All I'm doing is reading." He grumbled.

"Yeah, I see that." She grinned.

"Well then do you mind?"

"Nope, not at all!" She smiled wider.

Wormwood cawed loudly, landing himself on Cedric's shoulder, "Not now Wormy," Cedric brushed him off, "You know, I'm getting fairly irritated with you, young lady." He turned and faced Abigail directly.

She was still smiling at him, "I know you are." She giggled.

"So after all that, from earlier, this is how you end up?" He asked irritably.

"Being upset and grumpy all the time most certainly will get you no where. So why bother, be happy now and again! Really, you should try it sometime it might do you some good."

"I'm happy plenty," he retorted "but only when I'm alone."

"Oh but you're never alone, Wormy is with you all the time practically. Unless you mean, Wormwood doesn't always make you happy!" She grinned slyly.

Wormwood settled on Cedric's desk and glared at Abigail, Cedric sighed and turned back to his books. Abigail shrugged and walked to the stone stairway and sat down on the bottom step; with her chin rested on her hands, she stared at Cedric. He was hunched over his books, flipping through them rapidly, writing a few things down, then back to the book. He stood up suddenly and stretched his back and removed his robe and laid it across the chair then sat back down. Without his robe, he looked even thinner, almost gaunt.

Wormwood cawed suddenly and loudly causing Cedric and Abigail to jump. Cedric glanced back at Abigail, still sitting on the step. He shut his books, stood up and walked over to her. He towered over her, looking down. Suddenly he sat himself down next to Abigail and looked back at her. This close she could see clearly into his eyes, they were as brown as her own. She suddenly felt awkward and looked away, up to the rafters.

"Not so nice on the other side, is it?" He said suddenly.

Abigail looked back at him, "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Being stared at, of course." He replied, cracking a small smile, which disappeared as fast as it came.

"Yeah well, at least you're interesting to watch." She replied, "All I'm doing is sitting."

"That's what I was doing." Cedric answered, "What's so interesting about me?"

"I don't know, you just interest me is all. People in general interest me, I observe is all. I also observe that it's clear Wormwood really doesn't like me." She glanced up at the raven which now loomed on a rafter above her head.

"He doesn't like a lot of people." Cedric replied, looking up at the bird. "He only really trusts me, I've raised him since he was just a fledgling."

"Wow, that long? I had a cat once, it ran away. Quite frankly, I just think animals in general hate me or something, not that I blame them."

"I'm convinced no one likes me other than Wormwood." Cedric mumbled, seemingly to himself.

"I like you. I like you very much." Abigail said somewhat quietly. "You're pretty great, if you ask me."

"Oh," he said surprised, "Well, I-I, thank you, I guess." he fumbled with his shirt sleeve awkwardly.

Cedric stood up abruptly, "I think it's best we both be off to bed. I have much to teach you in the morning. Be up bright and early." He walked off briskly, Wormwood taking off behind him.

Abigail watched him as he descended down the stairs to his quarters before standing up and climbing the stairs to her own room. She nestled down into her blankets and listened to the crickets sing below. She thought about Cedric, she barely knew him, in the two days she'd been there. She planned on changing this, starting tomorrow. She dozed off soon after.


End file.
